Special Issue "Assisted Reproductive Techniques and Germplasm Cryopreservation Applied to Wildlife"

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Wildlife".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 February 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Adrienne E. Crosier
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA
Interests: cheetahs; wild species; felid; carnivore; reproduction
Dr. Pierre Comizzoli
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 20008, USA
Interests: reproduction; assisted reproduction in wild animal species

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Many wild species are difficult to reproduce naturally ex situ. Behavioral, physical or physiological issues may be involved. Furthermore, for many species, we do not understand enough of their basic biology to reproduce them efficiently. Assisted reproduction is a crucial aspect of managing these species. Areas of interest include understanding basic biology to improve assisted reproduction; cryobiology; and assisted techniques to improve reproductive success for managing reproductive events in wild species.

Dr. Adrienne E. Crosier
Dr. Pierre Comizzoli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All papers will be peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • artificial insemination
  • in vitro fertilization
  • embryo transfer
  • cryopreservation
  • gamete rescue

Published Papers

This special issue is now open for submission, see below for planned papers.

Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: An investigation of ovarian and adrenal hormone activity in pregnant and non-pregnant luteal phase cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) after natural breeding or artificial insemination
Authors: Diana Koester1,2, Morgan Maly3,4,5, Sarah Putman6, Katie Edwards7, and Adrienne Crosier3
Abstract: 

Although cheetahs have been the subject of reproductive study for over 35 years, ovarian and adrenal hormone activity are poorly described in pregnant and non-pregnant animals after natural breeding and artificial insemination (AI). Utilizing fecal samples collected at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI), our objective was to measure and compare fecal progestagen (fPM), estrogen (fEM), and glucocorticoid (fGM) metabolite concentrations and patterns in females that were either pregnant (PREG) or experiencing a non-pregnant luteal phase (NPLP) following natural breeding or exogenous hormone stimulation and AI.

Fecal samples were collected a minimum of 3x/week from 12 females for at least two weeks prior to (PRE) through 92 days post-breeding/exogenous hormone injection Samples were divided into trimesters for statistical analysis. Fecal profiles were classified as 1) PREG (n=15), confirmed by birth of cubs; 2) Natural NPLP (n=7), categorized by a luteal response after natural breeding, but no cubs born; and 3) AI NPLP (n=5), those with exogenous hormone administration and AI, but no cubs resulting. Fecal samples were assessed for steroid hormone concentrations using enzyme immunoassays with antibodies previously validated by SCBI in cheetahs (fPM: CL425; fEM: R4972; fGM: R4866).

Measured fPM followed expected patterns from previous studies for pregnant and non-pregnant groups. For all groups combined, fEM were lower in the first trimester (p<0.01) and higher in the third trimester (p<0.01) than PRE concentrations, but second trimester were not different (p=0.8668). There were no differences among groups in fGM, but in PREG females, concentrations were higher (p<0.01) in the last trimester than any other time. Interestingly, for PREG females that gave birth to singletons, fGM were higher (p=0.0205), but fEM tended to be lower (p=0.0626) than those with multi-cub litters. Our results provide additional insight into the physiological events surrounding natural and artificially stimulated luteal activity in the cheetah.

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